Eleni Kounalakis

For voters who have trouble distinguishing between the positions of lieutenant governor candidates Eleni Kounalakis and Ed Hernandez—or remembering what the so-called “Lite Gov” does, anyway—their backgrounds provide a contrast.

Barack Obama endorsed 81 Democrats across the country today—ten in California. Some were obvious choices. Others—both of omission and commission—not so much.

With California’s primary just days away, here’s a sampling of some of the players spending big to influence your vote.

California is supposed to be the vanguard of social change, but by one metric the state seems downright retrograde: It has rejected ever female candidate who's ever run for governor.